pumpkin pie custard

This is the perfect holiday treat for those of you staying on plan. You will trick your taste buds into thinking you are eating something "naughty", but you are really only eating something "nice".

Recipe is adapted from Sandy's Kitchen Adventures.

Step One
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Gather your ingredients. You will need:

1 package of Medifast vanilla pudding
1 egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup water
12 drops of the pumpkin pie capella drops (add a packet of splenda if you don't have the drops)
Light cool whip (optional)

Step Two
Mix all ingredients in a blender.

Step Three
Pour the mixture into a greased ramekin.

Step Four
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set.

Step Five
Serve warm or refrigerate overnight. Oh and add a dollop of light cool whip if you so desire.

And that's it! Enjoy!

xoxo,
Toni

chocolate chip doughnut holes

Before starting the Take Shape for Life Program, I loved to eat doughnuts...like a lot. And the ones with the sprinkles on top were my absolute favorite. So...after playing around with some ingredients to make that perfect (or close to perfect) Medifast doughnut, I finally created a recipe worth sharing.

*Note: I used a Bella cake pop maker to make the doughnut holes. You can buy one right now at Target for only $16 or you can scoop the batter onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 5-8 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.

Step One
Gather your ingredients. You will need:

1 Medifast Pancake Mix (1 Medifast Meal)
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (1/2 condiment)
1/8 tsp. baking powder (1/4 condiment)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (1/4 condiment)
1/4 tsp. pumpkin capella drops (optional)
2 tbsp water (not pictured)

Step Two
Place all the ingredients into a small bowl and mix well.

Step Three
Fill the cake pop wells until the batter is just below the top. I poured too much in some of them and they poured over, so be careful.

Step Four
Bake for about 5 minutes and then turn off the machine and let it stand for about 1 minute. Then pop open the cover and take out your delicious doughnut holes. Mine stuck a little, but came out once they cooled more.

Step Five
Dip into sugar free syrup or Medifast syrup or eat them plain (like I did) and enjoy!

xoxo,
Toni

pumpkin apple bread

Sweet treats are everywhere this time of year, and it's hard to keep saying no to your favorite foods. So if you are looking for a special treat during the holiday season but want to stay on plan, look no further. This pumpkin apple bread is just for you. It is simple, quick, and sure to satisfy those holiday cravings.

Step One:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Gather your ingredients. You will need:

1 packet of medifast apple cinnamon oatmeal (or any instant oatmeal packet)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp Capella Pumpkin flavor drops
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup of cold water

Step Two
Mix the all the ingredients together, adding the water last. Gently form dough using your fingers.

Step Three
Now, I don't have a mini loaf pan, so I made my own using foil. You can do the same or just use a mini loaf pan. Once you have decided on which on to use, spray your mini loaf pan or handmade one with non-stick cooking spray.

Step Four
And just to be extra safe, go ahead and add a piece of parchment paper. Once you have done that, add the thick dough and form into the mini loaf pan.

Step Five
Bake for about 10-12 minutes. After 10 minutes stick a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, it is ready to eat!

Hope you stay strong during the holiday season and pray that you have a very merry and blessed Christmas!

xoxo,
Toni

day forty-two...thanksgiving road trip day two

Today was full of driving and adventure. I took this picture above when we took a little walk to a natural hot spring that just bubbles up from the ground. It is amazing how hot that water can be even though it was about 40 degrees outside.

Breakfast
I woke up around 9am this morning and made myself a vanilla pumpkin shake. I just mixed some pumpkin flavor drops with a french vanilla shake packet. Thought the pumpkin was appropriate being Thanksgiving and all.

After breakfast we were on the road to do some exploring. My dad wanted to show us some mines, but there was just too much snow to make the trek. So instead we walked around and took some pictures.

As soon as we got to the hiking site, the sweetest "guard" dog came right up to us and joined us on our walk. He was sort of like our guide, I suppose. You think the snow would bother him, but this little guy just loved it.

After walking around, we crossed a half frozen creek and found an area to relax near the creek. There was a giant spot of fresh powdery snow, so I decided to make a snow angel. Why not, right? And in case you were wondering, yes, it was extremely cold and uncomfortable, but I definitely don't regret it.

Morning Snack
Once we got back in the car, we traveled back to check out of our hotel and started driving towards Mammoth. On the way, I ate some brown sugar cereal crunch along with a bottle of water

We stopped along the way to Mammoth to check out some natural hot springs and ran into this creek called hot creek. It is basically a scalding hot creek of water. It was really neat to see actually. The water is heated by some volcanic matter under the earth...I don't really understand how it works. All I know is that the air is freezing, but the creek still remains piping hot. Simply amazing. Those really blue pools are just some of the hot springs.

We hiked down a trail and was able to touch the water, but couldn't get too close at times because it was blocked off. I guess the water is too hot to touch. Walking back, we found this giant rock on a hill, so my dad decided he wanted to take a picture of me sitting on it. He is quite the photographer, isn't he?

Lunch
We finally made it to Mammoth when I ate my lunch for the day. I ate a s'mores crunch bar while we looked around.

We then decided to head back up north to check out what was up there. We found out that there is nothing really past Mammoth. But we did find this gorgeous, giant lake. It was lightly iced over and just a beautiful sight to see.

Afternoon Snack
After getting tired of seeing nothing, we decided to head back to Mammoth where we got a hotel room for the night. My parents then grabbed some dinner while I heated up my dinner in the microwave (thankfully provided in the room). I ate the green bean casserole I made yesterday...such a delicious Thanksgiving meal! And even after sitting around for a day, it still tasted pretty good! Click here for the recipe.

Dinner
After we ate our Thanksgiving meal, we headed out to see a movie. I heated up a calorie burn cappuccino and brought it with me to drink about 30 minutes into the movie. I tried to make it scalding hot so by the time I drank it, it would be drinkable hot...but...it cooled down to a more of a warm temperature. Not my favorite temp, but still delicious! I wasn't able to snap a picture because...well, it was dark in the theater.

Dessert
We came back to the hotel room right after the movie and I made my last meal of the day. I blended up a peanut butter milkshake and enjoyed every last sip. Great ending to my Thanksgiving day. And you know, it feels pretty great going to bed slightly hungry on the most food-centered day of the year.

Well, I am off to bed. I hope your Thanksgiving was a blessed one!

xoxo,
Toni

day forty-one...thanksgiving road trip day one

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Can you believe it? This year has flown by. It seems like the older I get, the more quickly time moves. Weird, isn't it? I also posted a Thanksgiving recipe for a green bean casserole today...you can check it out here.

Anyways, my parents and I left on a road trip this afternoon to Bishop, CA. So I got up this morning and started my food preparations for the next couple of days. I started making my Thanksgiving dinner so I would have something "special" to eat tomorrow. As far as my other lean and green meals go, I figured I would find something along the way...even if it means I only get lettuce and a lean meat.

There were many temptations on the way to Bishop...I had to say no to chips, sandwiches, popcorn, fries, burgers, and worst of all, a cinnabon cinnamon roll. I won't lie, the smell of it was brutal. I actually had to chew a piece of gum just to keep my mouth moving and my mind occupied. It actually worked too...I made it through the day and stuck to my health plan. And as a bonus, the hotel we are staying at has a mini fridge and a microwave! So now I am able to cook and eat all my meals! The Lord is good!

Breakfast
I woke up this morning and made myself a strawberry shake while I planned out what I would need to pack for the next few days. I didn't sleep in too late today, so I got a somewhat early start on my eating for the day.

Morning Snack
As I was packing my clothes and food, I decided to take a break and bake a special Thanksgiving bread. I used an apple cinnamon oatmeal packet, added some baking powder and capella pumpkin drops, and baked it for about 20 minutes. It was delicious! How can you go wrong with mini pumpkin apple bread? I will post the recipe soon. :)

Lunch
I started making my Thanksgiving lean and green meal when I realized it was time to eat lunch. So I threw together a romaine salad and topped it with a pizza burger and light chipotle ranch dressing. PS...this dressing is divine!

Afternoon Snack
We were on the road by the time my afternoon snack came around. I brought some cups, so I just poured out my cheese pizza bites into the cup and attempted as best as I could to get a picture of it. I never realized how challenging it was to get a focused picture while in a moving car...it's challenging!

Dinner
My next meal was near the middle of our road trip and little after the cinnabon temptation. We were stuck in traffic, so it was a little bit easier to snap a focused picture. It was dark though, so it still came out all weird. Oh well...I guess you can kind of tell it is a lemon meringue crunch bar... ;)

Dessert
Still on the road, I ate my dessert. It was a good thing I pre-made my brownie in a cup because I wouldn't have been able to eat it otherwise. I remember this afternoon thinking, just cook it now, what can it hurt. I realize now that it was the Lord speaking to me. Thank you, Lord! By the way...I think because my brownie was at room temp rather than piping hot, it had a similar texture and taste to a piece of chocolate cake. It was really good actually! I will definitely be doing this more often! Excuse my poor excuse for a picture...this was the worst of them all.

Well, I am currently writing this in my hotel room—praise the Lord they have excellent wifi—and can't wait to tell you all about my adventures tomorrow! I pray you have a blessed night!

xoxo,
Toni

day thirty-six...friday favs and week five weigh-in

Is it just me or are you a little anxious on your weigh-in day? I just keep thinking...well, I did everything I could, so let's see what happens. Well, I will tell you what happened this morning...not now, but in a little bit. :)

So today I am eating all my favorite meals. It's Friday...and, I had a good weigh in, so why not?

There are days when you just need to "splurge"...in a healthy way, of course...and today is that day. All my splurge foods are of the Medifast kind, but they are all my favorites. It's Friday favorites day! Who knows...maybe I will do this every Friday.

Breakfast
This morning I had a vanilla pumpkin shake. How exactly did I do that? Well, I mixed the vanilla shake mix with some capella pumpkin drops. Every sip tasted like fall...and Thanksgiving! Can you believe Thanksgiving is in less than a week?! So crazy! How is this my favorite? Well...I love the vanilla shakes, but as you may have remembered, pumpkin is my all time favorite fall flavor. So making a pumpkin shake that I can actually have is like a dream come true!

Morning Snack
My favorite morning snack is the calorie burn cappuccino. It has the perfect amount of sweetness and leaves you feeling full for the rest of the morning. Words cannot explain how delicoius and creamy this cappuccino was today. I could literally have this every single morning...maybe I should... ;) PS...isn't that cup just the cutest! I got it from Starbucks...here is the link to buy it...but it looks like it may be sold out right now.

Lunch
I went out to lunch today with some dear friends. It was a sweet time of fellowship and much needed girl time. :) I went to GreenLeaf Chopshop and ordered the "build your own hot entree". Basically you get a piece of meat with a choice of two sides. For my meat, I went with the flat iron steak. I don't think I have had red meat since starting the Take Shape For Life program, so I thought I would "splurge". Steak is one of my all-time favorite meats. For my two sides, I ordered the Tuscan kale salad (basically just kale, shaved pecorino romano, lemon juice, and olive oil),  and the green beans and shallots. Everything was so delicious! The meat just melted in my mouth. Definitely a special treat for today.

If you are ever in the Costa Mesa area, I would highly suggest you try this place out. Click here to find a location near you. I went to the one at SOCO...just fyi. :)

Afternoon Snack
So continuing with my Friday favorites theme, I decided to eat my favorite snack...the brown sugar cereal crunch. These always remind me of french toast for some reason. I have mentioned before how much I enjoy cereal, so these satisfy my craving completely.

Look at this sky! So gorgeous seeing this driving home from work.

Dinner
After coming home from work, I was going to have a smores crunch bar, but I decided to make myself a milkshake instead. A peanut butter one to be exact. My favorite dessert turned dinner ever!

Dessert
On my way to church I ate a s'mores crunch bar. It was quick and easy to eat. It also ended my night with a smile...this is my favorite bar, so of course I smiled in delight. :) I cut it into little pieces so it would be easier to eat during church.

Weight Update
Okay, so you ready for my weigh-in news? Well...I lost another three pounds! I was shocked when I saw the number on the scale. I actually weighed myself three more times...just to make sure. So as of this morning, my weight is 147.2. It seems so surreal that I have lost 19 pounds in only five weeks! Take Shape For Life is the best thing that has ever happened to me...besides being saved and going to Heaven. ;)

I highly encourage you to look into this program. Start now or after the holidays, just do it! I am a living example that if you follow the program, you will lose weight. It's that simple. And I honestly don't work out all that much and I am still losing weight. What do you have to lose trying it?

xoxo,
Toni

day thirty-three...the great pumpkin

Thanksgiving is quickly coming up and surprise...pumpkin is everywhere. It seems like everything has pumpkin in it. For some, this is not a problem...but for me, it is...or at least used to be.

I love all things pumpkin...pumpkin bread, muffins, pie, pancakes, scones (my all time favorite), lattes, you name it. Even this year, before I started Medifast, I was eating everything out there! Now, I am able to say no and instead eat my own Medifast approved snack.

If I can resist the pumpkin temptation, so can you. Seriously, I am the biggest pumpkin fan out there (ask my family), and I am, by the beautiful grace of God, able to easily say no to all things pumpkin. It just ain't worth it. So this Thanksgiving, say no that pumpkin pie and instead whip up a pumpkin shake using a french vanilla shake packet and a few drops of the Capella Pumpkin Flavor drops. Chances are, people will want what you are having instead of that pie. ;)

Breakfast
Had a strawberry shake this morning and it was goooood. I am really liking everything lately. Love it!

Morning Snack
A couple hours after breakfast I had a chai latte. It was cloudy and cold at the time and it warmed my shivering body. The drink is a tad powdery even after you mix it, but still delicious. A wonderful alternative to a fat laden chai tea latte, which is also loaded with sugar.

Lunch
I am so predictable when it comes to my lean and green lunches...today I had the same romaine salad but topped it with a vegetable burger (chopped up) from Trader Joes. It sort of tasted like an egg roll for some reason. That's a good thing...the egg roll taste. At least to me it is.

Afternoon Snack
For my snack this afternoon I finally finished up the bbq bites from my last order. I didn't order more, so these were officially my last ones.

Workout
I think I am going to be working out after work. It is so hard for me to get up in the morning let alone having to get up and workout. So, today after work I did a 30 minute toning workout. I used the workouts from one of the SHAPE DVD's. I love it. The moves are simple, but it still works your muscles and let me tell you...you will feel it the next day. That's a promise. ;)

Dinner
After my workout I made some macaroni and cheese, and I didn't overflow it! All that cheesy goodness (thankfully) stayed inside the mug. I apologize because there is just no way to snap a flattering picture of this meal, but here it is.

Dessert
I had to eat dessert in church again...but it was a smores crunch bar so I was okay with crunching a little bit. And yes...that is the smores bar hiding in my purse. I tried to be discreet. ;)

Besides my pumpkin rant, today was a good day! I am thrilled to see what tomorrow brings...it's Wednesday! I love Wednesdays. Why? Well, I love going to church on Wednesday nights and I am also halfway through the week! Plus...I hear rain is coming!!!

xoxo,
Toni